Meltdown and Spectre, the two computer processor security bugs have been making headlines, and for all the wrong reasons. Affecting nearly every device manufactured in the last 20 years, including phones, PCS and servers, this nasty attack is unprecedented. IT experts and cyber security teams are scrambling to patch vulnerabilities without compromising PC performance.
Unfortunately, it may be bad news for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. In a recent blog post, Terry Myerson, Executive VP, Windows and Devices Group, describes potential vulnerabilities and outlines what we can do to stay safe online.
What does it mean for you? The jury is still out as experts continue to work on solutions. However, Windows 10 users may experience a single-digit slowdown. Likely you will not notice a significant decrease in performance as we are talking milliseconds. Unfortunately, Windows 7 and Windows 8 users should expect to see a reduction in system performance. Moving forward, the biggest concern is for those still using Windows XP and Windows Vista. Microsoft no longer supports these versions, therefore no patches will be coming.
On the Apple front a patch for IoS devices has been released.
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